No. 22 Wisconsin thrashed No. 11 Nebraska, 59-24, by way of a record-setting rushing performance from Melvin Gordon Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
With Minnesota’s loss to Ohio State, the Badgers (5-1 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) now stand alone at the top of the Big Ten West. UW has Gordon to thank for that.
The redshirt junior running back rushed for 408 yards on 25 carries, which broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-game rushing record of 406 yards set in 1999. Gordon’s 16.3 yards per attempt and four touchdowns had head coach Gary Andersen flowing with praise following the game.
“Well, it’s a luxury I’ve never had before as a coach,” Andersen said of Gordon. “I can promise you that much. To see a performance like that was amazing.”
Gordon’s dangerous ability in open space was displayed on his record-breaking run, a 26-yard touchdown scamper on the last play of the third quarter. He took an inside handoff designed to go through the A-gap between the center and left guard, but he reversed direction and pounded the ball through the right side of the offensive line. Gordon shook off a Nebraska defender at the line of scrimmage and high-stepped over another at the five-yard line before sprinting into the end zone.
“I didn’t even know that I was close to a record like that,” Gordon said of his mindset during the run. “I was kind of just running to win. I just saw him shifting over and it was a power play, which you usually don’t take backside. I just kind of predetermined it. I kind of knew they would all sell out going to the left. So I pressed it a little bit, cut back and just made it happen.”
Gordon had rushes of 42, 62, 44, 43 and 68 yards, which consistently gave the Badgers good field position and took pressure off redshirt junior quarterback Joel Stave. Stave completed seven passes for 46 yards and a touchdown on just 11 passing attempts, but he was not about to complain about the lack of opportunities to air the ball out.
“We’re talking on the headset between every series about those play action passes that we’d like,” Stave said. “We start with a run and Melvin takes it to the 10-yard line and, well, you can’t run any of those plays anymore. Obviously I’m not disappointed with how the game went. It’s fun as a quarterback to get to throw it around but – unbelievable game for the offensive line, unbelievable game for Melvin.”
Although the final score was lopsided, Wisconsin’s offensive display was not without blemishes. A Kenzel Doe fumble, a poor punt by Bart Houston that netted just 18 yards and a fumble by Gordon gave Nebraska the ball in Wisconsin territory on its first, second and fourth drives of the game.
Nebraska (4-2, 8-2) lead, 17-3, at the beginning of the second quarter after quarterback Tommy Armstrong rushed for a 5-yard touchdown, but Gordon answered right back with an electrifying 62-yard rushing touchdown of his own on the subsequent drive.
From that point forward, the Badgers scored 56 unanswered points and clamped down on defense.
UW recovered four fumbles, had an interception and held Nebraska, who came in averaging 490.6 yards per game, to just 180 yards of total offense. Highly touted running back Ameer Abdullah managed just 69 yards on 18 carries, and Armstrong struggled to 36 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
Wisconsin was able to contain the Cornhuskers by studying the intricacies of Nebraska’s read-option, a staple of their offense, according to redshirt sophomore Vince Biegel.
“Lot of film study,” Biegel said of the preparation for Nebraska’s scheme. “A lot of those reading of the heels of the tackles, a lot of where their eyes are looking. Something you guys can’t necessarily see, but something that me and (linebacker) Joe Schobert, other outside linebackers, we pick up on and that is kind of the difference for us to go out there and make those keys.”
The dominant linebacker corps of Biegel, Schobert and Marcus Trotter combined for 6.5 tackles for a loss, and both Schobert and Trotter recovered a fumble.
Wisconsin’s complete team effort puts it in good position to make a push for a spot in the Big Ten championship Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. The Badgers take on divisional foes Iowa and Minnesota in the final games of its schedule.
Gordon recognized the importance of the win moving forward, stressing its precedence over his historic day in his mind.
“This game meant a lot,” Gordon said. “Forget about the statistics. I knew if we lost this game, it would be tough for us to get in the Big Ten championship. It was pretty much the end of the road for us. These last few games are very important.
“So—during the week, you know with the teammates, we always stress these last three games, it’s on us. It decides our fate. So this game was so important. And to come out here and play the way we did, it’s a great feeling. We just got to keep it going.”
